Scaling of shared spectrum exclusive resources

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the disclosure relate to wireless communication systems configured to utilize a shared spectrum between two or more network operators. Coexistence between the different network operators on the shared spectrum may be provided by reserving resources for exclusive use by each of the network operators within a period of time that is variable based on the number of network operators. Non-exclusive use of resources may further be granted to one or more network operators in accordance with network operator priorities.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present Application for patent is a Continuation of Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 15/482,343 filed in the U.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice on Apr. 7, 2017, the entire content of which is incorporatedherein by reference as if fully set forth below in its entirety and forall applicable purposes. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 15/482,343claims priority to and the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No.62/412,178 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 24,2016, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference asif fully set forth below in its entirety and for all applicablepurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology discussed below relates generally to wirelesscommunication systems, and more particularly, to the use of exclusiveresources in a shared spectrum. Embodiments can provide and enabletechniques for scaling of shared spectrum exclusive resources with thenumber of operators.

Introduction

A shared spectrum includes a band or channel that may be shared by twoor more different systems or technologies. For example, the sharedspectrum may be shared by two or more network operators, each using thesame radio access technology (RAT) or different RATs. Further,potentially new technologies may be added in the future by the networkoperators utilizing the shared spectrum. Broadly, any suitable number ofdifferent systems (e.g., different RATs, and/or different operatorswithin each RAT) may share the shared spectrum when they comply with thepredetermined or agreed-upon technology restrictions on its use.

A shared spectrum may be considered in some ways to be similar to anunlicensed band, such as the 2.4 GHz band used by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, anda number of other different systems and technologies. However, unlike anunlicensed band, the shared spectrum may not be completely unrestricted.That is, not any arbitrary technology may be allowed to access theshared spectrum. Rather, an agreement may be established where certaintechnology restrictions may be in place to limit which network operatorsand technologies may access and use the shared spectrum.

Within its unlicensed band, Wi-Fi technology employs a certain carriersense (CS) or listen-before-talk (LBT) mechanism to control access toits unlicensed band. While this CS mechanism provides for functionalitysuitable for many purposes, the recent increase in technologies thatwish to share access to the unlicensed band have created certaincoexistence issues. Accordingly, for the shared spectrum, the CScoexistence mechanism used by Wi-Fi may be less than suitable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects ofthe present disclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding ofsuch aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of allcontemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure norto delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of thedisclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented later.

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide for the coexistence ofa variety of network operators and technologies for wirelesscommunication on a shared spectrum channel. This coexistence may beprovided by reserving resources for exclusive use by each of the networkoperators within a period of time that is variable based on the numberof network operators. Non-exclusive use of resources may further begranted to one or more network operators in accordance with networkoperator priorities.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a method of wireless communicationutilizing a shared spectrum is provided. The method includes determininga number of network operators communicating over a shared spectrumchannel, in which the shared spectrum channel is time-divided into aplurality of superframes, each including an acquisition interval, aguaranteed interval and an opportunistic interval. The method furtherincludes determining a respective priority for each of the networkoperators on the shared spectrum channel, and for each of the networkoperators, allocating respective resources on the shared spectrumchannel within the respective acquisition intervals of one or more ofthe plurality of superframes for exclusive use by the respective networkoperator based on the respective priority. The network operators havinghigher priorities are allocated a same amount or more of the resourceson the shared spectrum channel for exclusive use thereof than thenetwork operators having lower priorities.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus within a wirelesscommunication network. The apparatus includes a processor, a memorycommunicatively coupled to the processor, and a transceivercommunicatively coupled to the processor. The processor is configured todetermine a number of network operators communicating over a sharedspectrum channel, in which the shared spectrum channel is time-dividedinto a plurality of superframes, each including an acquisition interval,a guaranteed interval and an opportunistic interval. The processor isfurther configured to determine a respective priority for each of thenetwork operators on the shared spectrum channel, and for each of thenetwork operators, allocate respective resources on the shared spectrumchannel within the respective acquisition intervals of one or more ofthe plurality of superframes for exclusive use by the respective networkoperator based on the respective priority. The network operators havinghigher priorities are allocated a same amount or more of the resourceson the shared spectrum channel for exclusive use thereof than thenetwork operators having lower priorities.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus within a wirelesscommunication network. The apparatus includes means for determining anumber of network operators communicating over a shared spectrumchannel, in which the shared spectrum channel is time-divided into aplurality of superframes, each including an acquisition interval, aguaranteed interval and an opportunistic interval. The apparatus furtherincludes means for determining a respective priority for each of thenetwork operators on the shared spectrum channel, and for each of thenetwork operators, means for allocating respective resources on theshared spectrum channel within the respective acquisition intervals ofone or more of the plurality of superframes for exclusive use by therespective network operator based on the respective priority. Thenetwork operators having higher priorities are allocated a same amountor more of the resources on the shared spectrum channel for exclusiveuse thereof than the network operators having lower priorities.

These and other aspects of the invention will become more fullyunderstood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows.Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewingthe following description of specific, exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. Whilefeatures of the present invention may be discussed relative to certainembodiments and figures below, all embodiments of the present inventioncan include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein.In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as havingcertain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also beused in accordance with the various embodiments of the inventiondiscussed herein. In similar fashion, while exemplary embodiments may bediscussed below as device, system, or method embodiments it should beunderstood that such exemplary embodiments can be implemented in variousdevices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an accessnetwork.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators communicating over a sharedspectrum channel.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of awireless network apparatus according to some aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators within acquisition intervals(A-INTs) on a shared spectrum channel according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of another coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators within A-INTs on a sharedspectrum channel according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of another coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators within A-INTs on a sharedspectrum channel according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process for wireless communicationutilizing a shared spectrum channel according to some aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating another process for wirelesscommunication utilizing a shared spectrum channel according to someaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating another process for wirelesscommunication utilizing a shared spectrum channel according to someaspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various configurations and isnot intended to represent the only configurations in which the conceptsdescribed herein may be practiced. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that these concepts may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and components areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may beimplemented across a broad variety of telecommunication systems, networkarchitectures, and communication standards. Referring now to FIG. 1, asan illustrative example without limitation, a simplified schematicillustration of an access network 100 is provided.

The geographic region covered by the access network 100 may be dividedinto a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquelyidentified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identificationbroadcasted over a geographical from one access point or base station.FIG. 1 illustrates macrocells 102, 104, and 106, and a small cell 108,each of which may include one or more sectors. A sector is a sub-area ofa cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same base station.A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logicalidentification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided intosectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups ofantennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in aportion of the cell.

In general, a base station (BS) serves each cell. Broadly, a basestation is a network element in a radio access network responsible forradio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from a UE. ABS may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a basetransceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, atransceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set(ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B (NB), an eNode B (eNB), a gNodeB(gNB) or some other suitable terminology.

In FIG. 1, two high-power base stations 110 and 112 are shown in cells102 and 104; and a third high-power base station 114 is showncontrolling a remote radio head (RRH) 116 in cell 106. That is, a basestation can have an integrated antenna or can be connected to an antennaor RRH by feeder cables. In the illustrated example, the cells 102, 104,and 106 may be referred to as macrocells, as the high-power basestations 110, 112, and 114 support cells having a large size. Further, alow-power base station 118 is shown in the small cell 108 (e.g., amicrocell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home Node B, homeeNode B, etc.) which may overlap with one or more macrocells. In thisexample, the cell 108 may be referred to as a small cell, as thelow-power base station 118 supports a cell having a relatively smallsize. Cell sizing can be done according to system design as well ascomponent constraints. It is to be understood that the access network100 may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. Further,a relay node may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of agiven cell. The base stations 110, 112, 114, 118 provide wireless accesspoints to a core network for any number of mobile apparatuses.

FIG. 1 further includes a quadcopter or drone 120, which may beconfigured to function as a base station. That is, in some examples, acell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of thecell may move according to the location of a mobile base station such asthe quadcopter 120.

In general, base stations may include a backhaul interface forcommunication with a backhaul portion of the network. The backhaul mayprovide a link between a base station and a core network, and in someexamples, the backhaul may provide interconnection between therespective base stations. The core network is a part of a wirelesscommunication system that is generally independent of the radio accesstechnology used in the radio access network. Various types of backhaulinterfaces may be employed, such as a direct physical connection, avirtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network. Somebase stations may be configured as integrated access and backhaul (IAB)nodes, where the wireless spectrum may be used both for access links(i.e., wireless links with UEs), and for backhaul links. This scheme issometimes referred to as wireless self-backhauling. By using wirelessself-backhauling, rather than requiring each new base station deploymentto be outfitted with its own hard-wired backhaul connection, thewireless spectrum utilized for communication between the base stationand UE may be leveraged for backhaul communication, enabling fast andeasy deployment of highly dense small cell networks.

The access network 100 is illustrated supporting wireless communicationfor multiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus is commonly referredto as user equipment (UE) in standards and specifications promulgated bythe 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), but may also be referredto by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriberstation, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remoteunit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communicationsdevice, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal(AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, ahandset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or someother suitable terminology. A UE may be an apparatus that provides auser with access to network services.

Within the present document, a “mobile” apparatus need not necessarilyhave a capability to move, and may be stationary. The term mobileapparatus or mobile device broadly refers to a diverse array of devicesand technologies. For example, some non-limiting examples of a mobileapparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, asession initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer(PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a tablet, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), and a broad array of embedded systems, e.g.,corresponding to an “Internet of things” (IoT). A mobile apparatus mayadditionally be an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a remotesensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, aglobal positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, adrone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, aconsumer and/or wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, avirtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, adigital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc.A mobile apparatus may additionally be a digital home or smart homedevice such as a home audio, video, and/or multimedia device, anappliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home securitysystem, a smart meter, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be asmart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, amunicipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., asmart grid), lighting, water, etc.; an industrial automation andenterprise device; a logistics controller; agricultural equipment;military defense equipment, vehicles, aircraft, ships, and weaponry,etc. Still further, a mobile apparatus may provide for connectedmedicine or telemedicine support, i.e., health care at a distance.Telehealth devices may include telehealth monitoring devices andtelehealth administration devices, whose communication may be givenpreferential treatment or prioritized access over other types ofinformation, e.g., in terms of prioritized access for transport ofcritical service user data traffic, and/or relevant QoS for transport ofcritical service user data traffic.

Within the access network 100, the cells may include UEs that may be incommunication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs122 and 124 may be in communication with base station 110; UEs 126 and128 may be in communication with base station 112; UEs 130 and 132 maybe in communication with base station 114 by way of RRH 116; UE 134 maybe in communication with low-power base station 118; and UE 136 may bein communication with mobile base station 120. Here, each base station110, 112, 114, 118, and 120 may be configured to provide an access pointto a core network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells.

In another example, a mobile network node (e.g., quadcopter 120) may beconfigured to function as a UE. For example, the quadcopter 120 mayoperate within cell 102 by communicating with base station 110. In someaspects of the disclosure, two or more UE (e.g., UEs 126 and 128) maycommunicate with each other using peer to peer (P2P) or sidelink signals127 without relaying that communication through a base station (e.g.,base station 112).

Unicast or broadcast transmissions of control information and/or trafficinformation (e.g., user data traffic) from a base station (e.g., basestation 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124) may be referredto as downlink (DL) transmission, while transmissions of controlinformation and/or traffic information originating at a UE (e.g., UE122) may be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In addition, theuplink and/or downlink control information and/or traffic informationmay be time-divided into frames, subframes, slots, and/or symbols. Asused herein, a symbol may refer to a unit of time that, in an orthogonalfrequency division multiplexed (OFDM) waveform, carries one resourceelement (RE) per sub-carrier. A slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. Asubframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or slotsmay be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Ofcourse, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme fororganizing waveforms may be utilized, and various time divisions of thewaveform may have any suitable duration.

The air interface in the access network 100 may utilize one or moremultiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneouscommunication of the various devices. For example, multiple access foruplink (UL) or reverse link transmissions from UEs 122 and 124 to basestation 110 may be provided utilizing time division multiple access(TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency divisionmultiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access(OFDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), single-carrier frequencydivision multiple access (SC-FDMA), resource spread multiple access(RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexingdownlink (DL) or forward link transmissions from the base station 110 toUEs 122 and 124 may be provided utilizing time division multiplexing(TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing(FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse codemultiplexing (SCM), single-carrier frequency division multiplexing(SC-FDM) or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

Further, the air interface in the access network 100 may utilize one ormore duplexing algorithms Duplex refers to a point-to-pointcommunication link where both endpoints can communicate with one anotherin both directions. Full duplex means both endpoints can simultaneouslycommunicate with one another. Half duplex means only one endpoint cansend information to the other at a time. In a wireless link, a fullduplex channel generally relies on physical isolation of a transmitterand receiver, and suitable interference cancellation technologies. Fullduplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links byutilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or time division duplex (TDD).In FDD, transmissions in different directions operate at differentcarrier frequencies. In TDD, transmissions in different directions on agiven channel are separated from one another using time divisionmultiplexing. That is, at some times the channel is dedicated fortransmissions in one direction, while at other times the channel isdedicated for transmissions in the other direction, where the directionmay change very rapidly, e.g., several times per subframe.

In the radio access network 100, the ability for a UE to communicatewhile moving, independent of their location, is referred to as mobility.The various physical channels between the UE and the radio accessnetwork are generally set up, maintained, and released under the controlof a mobility management entity (MME). In various aspects of thedisclosure, an access network 100 may utilize DL-based mobility orUL-based mobility to enable mobility and handovers (i.e., the transferof a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a networkconfigured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a schedulingentity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of thesignal from its serving cell as well as various parameters ofneighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UEmay maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells.During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if signalquality from a neighboring cell exceeds that from the serving cell for agiven amount of time, the UE may undertake a handoff or handover fromthe serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 124may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 102to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell 106. When thesignal strength or quality from the neighbor cell 106 exceeds that ofits serving cell 102 for a given amount of time, the UE 124 may transmita reporting message to its serving base station 110 indicating thiscondition. In response, the UE 124 may receive a handover command, andthe UE may undergo a handover to the cell 106.

In a network configured for UL-based mobility, UL reference signals fromeach UE may be utilized by the network to select a serving cell for eachUE. In some examples, the base stations 110, 112, and 114/116 maybroadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., unified PrimarySynchronization Signals (PSSs), unified Secondary SynchronizationSignals (SSSs) and unified Physical Broadcast Channels (PBCH)). The UEs122, 124, 126, 128, 130, and 132 may receive the unified synchronizationsignals, derive the carrier frequency and subframe/slot timing from thesynchronization signals, and in response to deriving timing, transmit anuplink pilot or reference signal. The uplink pilot signal transmitted bya UE (e.g., UE 124) may be concurrently received by two or more cells(e.g., base stations 110 and 114/116) within the access network 100.Each of the cells may measure a strength of the pilot signal, and theaccess network (e.g., one or more of the base stations 110 and 114/116and/or a central node within the core network) may determine a servingcell for the UE 124. As the UE 124 moves through the access network 100,the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmittedby the UE 124. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signalmeasured by a neighboring cell exceeds that of the signal strength orquality measured by the serving cell, the network 100 may handover theUE 124 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell, with or withoutinforming the UE 124.

Although the synchronization signal transmitted by the base stations110, 112, and 114/116 may be unified, the synchronization signal may notidentify a particular cell, but rather may identify a zone of multiplecells operating on the same frequency and/or with the same timing. Theuse of zones in 5G networks or other next generation communicationnetworks enables the uplink-based mobility framework and improves theefficiency of both the UE and the network, since the number of mobilitymessages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network may bereduced.

In various implementations, the air interface in the access network 100may utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum.Licensed spectrum provides for exclusive use of a portion of thespectrum, generally by virtue of a mobile network operator purchasing alicense from a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum providesfor shared use of a portion of the spectrum without need for agovernment-granted license. While compliance with some technical rulesis generally still required to access unlicensed spectrum, generally,any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall betweenlicensed and unlicensed spectrum, wherein technical rules or limitationsmay be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still beshared by multiple operators and/or multiple RATs. For example, theholder of a license for a portion of licensed spectrum may providelicensed shared access (LSA) to share that spectrum with other parties,e.g., with suitable licensee-determined conditions to gain access.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, whereina scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources (e.g.,time-frequency resources) for communication among some or all devicesand equipment within its service area or cell. Within the presentdisclosure, as discussed further below, the scheduling entity may beresponsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasingresources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduledcommunication, UEs or scheduled entities utilize resources allocated bythe scheduling entity.

Base stations are not the only entities that may function as ascheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE may function as ascheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduledentities (e.g., one or more other UEs). In other examples, sidelinksignals may be used between UEs without necessarily relying onscheduling or control information from a base station. For example, UE138 is illustrated communicating with UEs 140 and 142. In some examples,the UE 138 is functioning as a scheduling entity or a primary sidelinkdevice, and UEs 140 and 142 may function as a scheduled entity or anon-primary (e.g., secondary) sidelink device. In still another example,a UE may function as a scheduling entity in a device-to-device (D2D),peer-to-peer (P2P), or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, and/or in amesh network. In a mesh network example, UEs 140 and 142 may optionallycommunicate directly with one another in addition to communicating withthe scheduling entity 138.

In various aspects of the present disclosure, one or more of the basestations 110, 112, and 114/116 may be operated by different networkoperators and/or utilize different radio access technologies (RATs), andeach may be configured to communicate on a shared spectrum. A sharedspectrum may include one or more bands or channels that may be shared bytwo or more different systems. As used in the present disclosure, asystem may refer to a network operator and/or a radio access technology(RAT). That is, the shared spectrum channel may be shared by two or morenetwork operators using the same RAT, and/or two or more RATs, each ofwhich may be utilized by one or more network operators.

A shared spectrum may be considered in some ways to be similar to anunlicensed band, such as the 2.4 GHz band used by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, anda number of other different systems and technologies. However, unlike anunlicensed band, the shared spectrum may not be completely unrestricted.That is, not any arbitrary technology may be allowed to access theshared spectrum. Rather, an agreement may be established where certaintechnology restrictions may be in place to limit which systems andtechnologies may access and use the shared spectrum.

In a particular implementation, the shared spectrum may occupy anysuitable band, such as but not limited to a 3.5 GHz band. In someexamples, multiple network operators with the same radio accesstechnology (RAT) may occupy the shared spectrum. In some examples,multiple RATs may occupy the shared spectrum. Further, potentially newtechnologies may be added in the future to the list of users of theshared spectrum. Broadly, any suitable number of different systems(e.g., different RATs, and/or different network operators within eachRAT) may share the shared spectrum when they comply with thepredetermined or agreed technology restrictions on its use.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a suitable coexistencemechanism common across different network operators and across differentRATs may be defined to enable this variety of different systems to sharethe shared spectrum. For example, a common understanding between thesesystems can enable users of the different systems to be aware of oneanother and achieve fair access to the shared spectrum. In someexamples, access to the shared spectrum channel may be managed by thenetwork (e.g., base stations or other wireless devices communicating onthe shared spectrum channel may discover one another and coordinateusage of the shared spectrum channel). In other examples, access to theshared spectrum channel may be managed by a shared access system (SAS)server 144, which may be connected to the access network 100 via, forexample, an external data network 146. In some examples, the SAS server144 may be operated by a third party, instead of by the network or anyparticular network operator utilizing the shared spectrum channel.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary coordinatedallocation of resources to various network operators communicating overa shared spectrum channel 200. Within a particular duration of time, theresources (e.g., time-frequency resources) may be classified intovarious intervals according to particular usages. In the example shownin FIG. 2, the resources are classified into acquisition intervals(A-INT) 208, guaranteed intervals (G-INT) 210 and opportunisticintervals (O-INT) 212 within the duration of a superframe (e.g., 20 ms)202. A superframe 202 may include, for example, twenty subframes 204,each having a duration of 1 ms. A single A-INT 208 is provided withinthe superframe 202 spanning the duration of the first two subframes 204in the superframe 202. Multiple G-INTs 210 a-210 b and O-INTs 212 a-212d may be allocated within the remainder of the superframe 202.

Within the A-INT 208, resources are dedicated to network operators forthe exclusive use thereof to transmit critical control information anduser data traffic. Such critical control information may include, forexample, one or more synchronization signals, physical broadcast controlchannel (PBCH), system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.Thus, each network operator communicating on the shared spectrum channel(e.g., Operator 1, Operator 2 and Operator 3) may be assigned exclusiveresources to communicate downlink (DL) and/or uplink (UL) informationwithin the A-INT. In the example shown in FIG. 2, Operator 1 is assigneda first slot 206 a within a first subframe 204 of the A-INT to theexclusion of all other network operators (e.g., only Operator 1 maycommunicate on the shared spectrum channel during the first slot 206 a).Operator 2 is then assigned a second slot 206 b following the first slot206 a, and Operator 3 is then assigned a third slot 206 c following thesecond slot 206 b. Here, each slot may have a duration of approximately330 μs and each slot 206 a-206 c may be allocated for downlink (DL)transmissions. Following the DL assignments, each network operator maythen be assigned exclusive resources for uplink (UL) transmissionswithin the A-INT. Thus, with three network operators and slot durationsof approximately 330 μs, the A-INT shown in FIG. 2 has a granularity oftwo ms, corresponding to two subframes 204.

Each G-INT 210 a-210 b is assigned to a specific network operator toenable that specific network operator to transmit control informationand/or user data traffic without medium sensing (e.g., withoutperforming listen-before-talk (LBT)). In the example shown in FIG. 2,Operator 1 is assigned two G-INTs 210 a and 210 b, each having agranularity of three ms or three subframes 204. The G-INTs 210 a and 210b may be provided to network operators based on operator prioritiesand/or Quality of Service (QoS) requirements.

Each O-INT 212 a-212 d is an interval where an unassigned networkoperator can transmit control information and/or user data traffic afterdetermining that the medium is idle (e.g., via LBT). In the exampleshown in FIG. 2, each O-INT 212 a-212 d has a granularity of three ms orthree subframes 204 and Operators 2 and 3 may each perform LBT to gainaccess to the shared spectrum channel during the O-INTs. In addition,the last N symbols of G-INTs 210 and O-INTs 212 may be reserved formission critical user data traffic and/or uplink transmissions.

As the number of network operators increases, the overhead of the A-INT208 may linearly increase. In addition, different network operators mayhave different priorities for accessing the shared spectrum channel. Forexample, one network operator may have a higher priority on one sharedspectrum channel and a lower priority on other shared spectrum channels.In addition, the portion of the overall A-INT 208 transmission periodduration may be proportionally divided amongst network operators basedon operator priorities to enable operators with higher priorities toachieve higher guaranteed QoS requirements.

In various aspects of the disclosure, to limit the relative overhead ofthe A-INT 208, while still meeting priority and QoS requirements fornetwork operators, A-INT 208 resources may be reserved for each networkoperator within a respective period of time that is variable based onthe number of network operators. For example, the period of time forsome of the network operators may include one superframe 202, while theperiod of time for other network operators may include two or moresuperframes 202. In addition, non-exclusive use of resources may furtherbe granted to one or more network operators in accordance with networkoperator priorities.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example of ahardware implementation for a wireless network apparatus 300 employing aprocessing system 314. For example, the wireless network apparatus 300may be a base station or user equipment as illustrated in FIG. 1. Inanother example, the wireless network apparatus 300 may be a sharedaccess system (SAS) server operated by a third party to control accessto a shared spectrum.

The wireless network apparatus 300 may be implemented with a processingsystem 314 that includes one or more processors 304. Examples ofprocessors 304 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signalprocessors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmablelogic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardwarecircuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the variousfunctionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples,the wireless communication device 300 may be configured to perform anyone or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor204, as utilized in a wireless communication device 300, may be used toimplement any one or more of the processes described below.

In this example, the processing system 314 may be implemented with a busarchitecture, represented generally by the bus 302. The bus 302 mayinclude any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on thespecific application of the processing system 314 and the overall designconstraints. The bus 302 communicatively couples together variouscircuits including one or more processors (represented generally by theprocessor 304), a memory 305, and computer-readable media (representedgenerally by the computer-readable medium 306). The bus 302 may alsolink various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltageregulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in theart, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface308 provides an interface between the bus 302 and a transceiver 310. Thetransceiver 310 provides a means for communicating with various otherapparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of theapparatus, a user interface 312 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker,microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

The processor 304 is responsible for managing the bus 302 and generalprocessing, including the execution of software stored on thecomputer-readable medium 306. The software, when executed by theprocessor 304, causes the processing system 314 to perform the variousfunctions described below for any particular apparatus. Thecomputer-readable medium 306 and the memory 305 may also be used forstoring data that is manipulated by the processor 304 when executingsoftware.

One or more processors 304 in the processing system may executesoftware. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions,instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs,subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications,software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threadsof execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to assoftware, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware descriptionlanguage, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readablemedium 306. The computer-readable medium 306 may be a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumincludes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk,floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD)or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device(e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), aread only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM(EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removabledisk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/orinstructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. Thecomputer-readable medium may also include, by way of example, a carrierwave, a transmission line, and any other suitable medium fortransmitting software and/or instructions that may be accessed and readby a computer. The computer-readable medium 306 may reside in theprocessing system 314, external to the processing system 314, ordistributed across multiple entities including the processing system314. The computer-readable medium 306 may be embodied in a computerprogram product. By way of example, a computer program product mayinclude a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilledin the art will recognize how best to implement the describedfunctionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on theparticular application and the overall design constraints imposed on theoverall system.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 304 may includecircuitry configured for various functions. For example, the processor304 may include shared spectrum (SS) resource reservation circuitry 340.The SS resource reservation circuitry 340 may include one or morehardware components that provide the physical structure that performsvarious processes related to reserving resources (e.g., time-frequencyresources) on a shared spectrum channel in various time intervals tovarious network operators communicating over the shared spectrumchannel. For example, the SS resource reservation circuitry 340 may beconfigured to reserve resources on the shared spectrum channel during anacquisition interval for network operators to transmit critical controlinformation and user data traffic. In some examples, the criticalcontrol information may include a synchronization (SYNC) signal, aphysical broadcast control channel (PBCH), a System Information Block(SIB) or a paging message. The SS resource reservation circuitry 340 mayoperate in coordination with shared spectrum resource reservationsoftware 360.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the SS resource reservation circuitry340 may divide the resources within each acquisition interval betweenthe network operators such that each network operator has exclusiveaccess to its allocated resources. In some examples, the SS resourcereservation circuitry 340 may allocate one downlink (DL) slot and oneuplink (UL) slot during each acquisition interval to each networkoperator for exclusive use by that network operator. In other examples,the SS resource reservation circuitry 340 may allocate one DL slot andone UL slot during only a portion of the acquisition intervals to one ormore of the network operators. For example, the SS resource reservationcircuitry 340 may allocate one DL slot and one UL slot to a networkoperator for the exclusive use thereof during every N^(th) acquisitioninterval, where N is greater than or equal to two.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the SS resource reservation circuitry340 may further reserve the same resources during an acquisitioninterval to two or more network operators to provide non-exclusiveaccess to the allocated resources. For example, the SS resourcereservation circuitry 340 may reserve resources (e.g., one DL slot andone UL slot) within one or more acquisition intervals for thenon-exclusive use by two or more network operators. In this example, thenetwork operators share access to the allocated resources using, forexample, a listen-before-talk (LBT) or carrier sense (CS) algorithm.

The LBT or CS algorithm may be similar to LBT or CS algorithms utilizedwithin Wi-Fi networks (e.g., those defined by IEEE 802.11 standards),which typically implement a clear channel assessment (CCA) and a networkallocation vector (NAV). CCA involves a device detecting and decoding aWi-Fi preamble transmitted by another device as a part of a physicallayer convergence protocol (PLCP) frame. If a device senses or detects aWi-Fi signal preamble, it will report the carrier as busy for the lengthof the frame. CCA further involves the device detecting the energy levelof noise and interference on the carrier from non-Wi-Fi sources. Thecarrier may be reported as busy if an energy detection sample indicatesenergy above a given threshold. The NAV enables a device to explicitlyreserve the carrier for transmission of a number of frames after thecurrent frame. This reservation is made by encoding correspondinginformation in the PLCP frame header.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 304 may further includeacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342. The acquisitioninterval configuration circuitry may include one or more hardwarecomponents that provide the physical structure that performs variousprocesses related to allocating resources during acquisition intervalsas a function of the number of network operators communicating on theshared spectrum channel. In some examples, the acquisition intervalconfiguration circuitry 342 may allocate one acquisition interval(A-INT) each superframe period. The A-INT may have a duration, forexample, of 2 ms each superframe period. In other examples, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may allocate more thanone A-INT each superframe period to reduce the periodicity of A-INTs.For example, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 mayallocate an A-INT having a duration of one ms every five ms. Theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may operate incoordination with acquisition interval configuration software 362.

The acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may further beconfigured to map network operators to A-INTs within one or moresuperframes based on the number of network operators. For example, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may determine the totalnumber of network operators communicating on the shared spectrumchannel. In some examples, the wireless communication apparatus 300 maybe a third party shared access system (SAS) server and the acquisitioninterval configuration circuitry 342 may determine the number of networkoperators registered with the SAS server. In other examples, thewireless communication apparatus 300 may be a network device (e.g., abase station or other wireless communication device) communicating onthe shared spectrum channel and the acquisition interval configurationcircuitry 342 may determine the number of network operators discoveredby the network device on the shared spectrum channel. In other examples,any suitable algorithm may be utilized to determine the number ofnetwork operators.

The acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may further comparethe number of network operators to a first threshold number 352maintained, for example, in memory 305. If the number of networkoperators is less than or equal to the first threshold number 352, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may map all networkoperators to each A-INT within each superframe. For example, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may instruct the SSresource reservation circuitry 340 to reserve exclusive resources foreach network operator during each A-INT (i.e., during each superframe).The SS resource reservation circuitry 340 may then reserve one DL slotand one UL slot for each network operator during each A-INT.

However, if the number of network operators is greater than the firstthreshold number 352, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry342 may map a set of the network operators to a subset of the A-INTs.For example, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 mayinstruct the SS resource reservation circuitry 340 to allocate one DLslot and one UL slot to each network operator within the set of networkoperators for the exclusive use thereof during every N^(th) acquisitioninterval, where N is greater than or equal to two. In some examples, theset of network operators includes all of the network operators. In otherexamples, the set of network operators includes less than all of thenetwork operators. Thus, when each superframe includes only one A-INT,at least a portion of the network operators may be assigned exclusiveA-INT resources within non-consecutive superframes. As such, the A-INTallocation for at least a portion of the network operators iseffectively decimated in time and the amount of exclusive resourcesreserved for these network operators is effectively reduced. Statedanother way, the A-INT resources for the set of network operators arereserved within a duration of time (e.g., 40 ms or longer correspondingto two or more superframes) that is greater than the duration of time(e.g., 20 ms corresponding to one superframe) utilized when the numberof network operators is less than or equal to the threshold number.

The acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may select thenetwork operators for reduced A-INT allocations based on, for example,the priorities of the respective network operators. For example, thenetwork operators with higher priorities, and therefore, higher QoSrequirements, may be assigned resources within each A-INT or within agreater subset of the A-INTs, while network operators with lowerpriorities may be assigned resources within a lower subset of theA-INTs. The particular A-INTs selected for each network operator withinthe set of network operators may be staggered such that not each networkoperator within the set of network operators is assigned resourceswithin the same A-INT. For example, one network operator within the setof network operators may be assigned resources within a first A-INT,while another network operator within the set of network operators maybe assigned resources within a second A-INT.

The acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may further beconfigured to compare the number of network operators to a secondthreshold number 354 greater than the first threshold number 352 andmaintained, for example, in memory 305. If the number of networkoperators is less than or equal to the second threshold number 354, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may map networkoperators to A-INTs as described above when the number of networkoperators is greater than the first threshold number 352. If the numberof network operators is greater than the second threshold number, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may map networkoperators to non-exclusive resources within A-INTs. For example, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 may instruct the sharedspectrum resource reservation circuitry 340 to reserve resources (e.g.,one DL slot and one UL slot) within one or more A-INTs for thenon-exclusive use by another set of two or more network operators. Inthis example, the network operators share access to the allocatedresources using, for example, a listen-before-talk (LBT) or carriersense (CS) algorithm.

In some examples, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342may select the network operators for shared non-exclusive access basedon the priorities of the respective network operators. For example, thenetwork operators with higher priorities, and therefore, higher QoSrequirements, may be assigned exclusive resources within each A-INT orwithin a subset of the A-INTs, while network operators with lowerpriorities may be assigned non-exclusive resources within each A-INT ora subset of the A-INTs.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 304 may further includenetwork operator priority management circuitry 344. The network operatorpriority management circuitry 344 may include one or more hardwarecomponents that provide the physical structure that performs variousprocesses related to determining a priority assigned to each of thenetwork operators communicating over the shared spectrum channel. Insome aspects of the disclosure, the network operator priority managementcircuitry 344 may operate in coordination with the acquisition intervalconfiguration circuitry 342 and the SS resource reservation circuitry340 to allocate resources on the shared spectrum channel during A-INTsbased on the respective priorities of each of the network operators. Thenetwork operator priority management circuitry 344 may operate incoordination with network operator priority management software 364.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 304 may further includecommunication and signal processing circuitry 346. The communication andsignal processing circuitry 346 may include one or more hardwarecomponents that provide the physical structure that performs variousprocesses related to wireless communication (e.g., signal receptionand/or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing areceived signal and/or processing a signal for transmission) asdescribed herein. For example, the communication and signal processingcircuitry 346 may be configured to transmit and/or receive controlinformation and/or user data traffic via the transceiver 310. Thecommunication and signal processing circuitry 346 may operate incoordination with communication and signal processing software 366.

FIG. 4 is schematic illustration of a coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators within acquisition intervals(A-INTs) 208 on a shared spectrum channel 200 according to someembodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 4, there are four network operators(Operator 1, Operator 2, Operator 3, and Operator 4). In the exampleshown in FIG. 4, resources (e.g., downlink slots 206 a and 206 b anduplink slots 206 d and 206 e) have been exclusively reserved to Operator1 and Operator 2 within a first A-INT (A-INT 1) 208 a within a firstsuperframe (Superframe 1) 202 a. In addition, resources (e.g., downlinkslots 206 g and 206 h and uplink slots 206 j and 206 k) have beenexclusively reserved to Operator 3 and Operator 4 within a second A-INT(A-INT 2) 208 b within a second superframe (Superframe 2) 202 b. Thus,in the example shown in FIG. 4, exclusive resources have been reservedequally for each network operator. However, the amount of exclusiveresources reserved for each of the network operators has beeneffectively reduced, in comparison to FIG. 2, where each networkoperator was allocated exclusive resources in each superframe.

FIG. 5 is schematic illustration of another coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators within acquisition intervals(A-INTs) 208 on a shared spectrum channel 200 according to someembodiments. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a first set of networkoperators (e.g., Operator 1 and Operator 2) have been allocatedexclusive resources within each of the superframes (e.g., within A-INT208 a of superframe 202 a and A-INT 208 b of superframe 202 b), similarto that illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, Operator 1 has beenallocated downlink slot 206 a and uplink slot 206 d within A-INT 208 aof superframe 202 a, and downlink slot 206 g and uplink slot 206 jwithin A-INT 208 b of superframe 202 b. Likewise, Operator 2 has beenallocated downlink slot 206 b and uplink slot 206 e within A-INT 208 aof superframe 202 a, and downlink slot 206 h and uplink slot 206 kwithin A-INT 208 b of superframe 208 b.

However, a second set of network operators (e.g., Operator 3 andOperator 4) have been allocated exclusive resources within only a subsetof the superframes. For example, Operator 3 has been allocated exclusiveresources (e.g., downlink slot 206 c and uplink slot 206 f) within A-INT208 a of superframe 202 a, while Operator 4 has been allocated exclusiveresources (e.g., downlink slot 206 i and uplink slot 206 l) within A-INT208 b of superframe 202 b. Thus, the amount of exclusive resourcesreserved for Operators 3 and 4 has been effectively reduced, incomparison to FIG. 2

FIG. 6 is schematic illustration of another coordinated allocation ofresources to various network operators within acquisition intervals(A-INTs) 208 on a shared spectrum channel 200 according to someembodiments. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a first set of networkoperators (e.g., Operator 1 and Operator 2) have been allocatedexclusive resources within each of the superframes (e.g., within A-INT208 a of superframe 202 a and A-INT 208 b of superframe 202 b), similarto that illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, Operator 1 has beenallocated downlink slot 206 a and uplink slot 206 d within A-INT 208 aof superframe 202 a, and downlink slot 206 g and uplink slot 206 jwithin A-INT 208 b of superframe 202 b. Likewise, Operator 2 has beenallocated downlink slot 206 b and uplink slot 206 e within A-INT 208 aof superframe 202 a, and downlink slot 206 h and uplink slot 206 kwithin A-INT 208 b of superframe 202 b.

However, a second set of network operators (e.g., Operator 3 andOperator 4) have been allocated non-exclusive resources within each ofthe superframes. For example, Operators 3 and 4 have been allocated thesame set of resources within both A-INT 208 a and A-INT 208 b. Forexample, Operators 3 and 4 have each been allocated downlink slot 206 cand uplink slot 206 f within A-INT 208 a of superframe 202 a anddownlink slot 206 i and uplink slot 206 l within A-INT 208 b ofsuperframe 202 b. In this example, Operators 3 and 4 may share access tothe allocated resources using, for example, a listen-before-talk (LBT)or carrier sense (CS) algorithm.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process 700 for wirelesscommunication utilizing a shared spectrum according to an aspect of thedisclosure. As described below, some or all illustrated features may beomitted in a particular implementation within the scope of the presentdisclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required forimplementation of all embodiments. In some examples, the process 700 maybe carried out by the wireless communication apparatus illustrated inFIG. 3. In some examples, the process 700 may be carried out by anysuitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithmdescribed below.

At block 702, the wireless communication apparatus may determine thenumber of network operators communicating on a shared spectrum channel.In some examples, the wireless communication apparatus may be a thirdparty shared access system (SAS) server with which the network operatorsregister or a network device (e.g., a base station or other wirelesscommunication device) communicating on the shared spectrum channel thatmay discover the other network operators communicating on the sharedspectrum channel. For example, the communication and signal processingcircuitry 346 shown and described above in reference to FIG. 3 maydetermine the number of network operators communicating on the sharedspectrum channel.

At block 704, the wireless communication apparatus may determine if thenumber of network operators is less than or equal to a threshold number.For example, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 shownand described above in connection with FIG. 3 may determine the numberof network operators communicating on the shared spectrum channel andwhether the number of network operators is less than or equal to thethreshold number.

If the number of network operators is less than or equal to thethreshold number (Y branch of block 704), at block 706, the wirelesscommunication apparatus may reserve a respective set of exclusiveresources for each network operator during a first duration of time(e.g., during a superframe). In some examples, the wirelesscommunication apparatus may reserve a different set of resources duringan A-INT of a superframe for each network operator to enable eachnetwork operator to exclusively utilize its respective reservedresources for the transmission of critical control information and userdata traffic. For example, the acquisition interval configurationcircuitry 342 in combination with the SS resource reservation circuitry340 shown and described above in connection with FIG. 3 may reserverespective resources for each network operator for the exclusive usethereof within the first duration of time.

If the number of network operators is not less than or equal to thethreshold number (N branch of block 706), at block 708, the wirelesscommunication apparatus may either reserve a respective set of exclusiveresources for a set of network operators during a second duration oftime (e.g., over two or more superframes) greater than the firstduration of time or reserve a set of resources within the first orsecond duration of time for non-exclusive use by the set of networkoperators. In some examples, for at least a portion of the networkoperators corresponding to the set of network operators, exclusiveresources are reserved with a longer periodicity. As such, the amount ofresources exclusively reserved to each network operator within the setof network operators is effectively reduced. In other examples, the sameresources during an acquisition interval may be allocated to two or morenetwork operators to provide non-exclusive access to the allocatedresources. In this example, the network operators share access to theallocated resources using, for example, a listen-before-talk (LBT) orcarrier sense (CS) algorithm. For example, the acquisition intervalconfiguration circuitry 342 in combination with the SS resourcereservation circuitry 340 shown and described above in connection withFIG. 3 may either reserve respective resources for each network operatorwithin a set of network operators for the exclusive use thereof within asecond duration of time or reserve a set of resources within the firstor second duration of time for non-exclusive use by the set of networkoperators.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a process 800 for wirelesscommunication utilizing a shared spectrum according to a further aspectof the disclosure. As described below, some or all illustrated featuresmay be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of thepresent disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be requiredfor implementation of all embodiments. In some examples, the process 800may be carried out by the wireless communication apparatus illustratedin FIG. 3. In some examples, the process 800 may be carried out by anysuitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithmdescribed below.

At block 802, the wireless communication apparatus may determine thenumber of network operators communicating on a shared spectrum channel.In some examples, the wireless communication apparatus may be a thirdparty shared access system (SAS) server with which the network operatorsregister or a network device (e.g., a base station or other wirelesscommunication device) communicating on the shared spectrum channel thatmay discover the other network operators communicating on the sharedspectrum channel. For example, the communication and signal processingcircuitry 346 shown and described above in reference to FIG. 3 maydetermine the number of network operators communicating on the sharedspectrum channel.

At block 804, the wireless communication apparatus may determine if thenumber of network operators is greater than a first threshold number.For example, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 shownand described above in connection with FIG. 3 may determine the numberof network operators communicating on the shared spectrum channel andmay determine whether the number of network operators is greater thanthe first threshold number.

If the number of network operators is not greater the first thresholdnumber (N branch of block 804), at block 806, the wireless communicationapparatus may reserve a respective set of exclusive resources for eachnetwork operator during a first duration of time (e.g., during asuperframe). In some examples, the wireless communication apparatus mayreserve a different set of resources (e.g., one DL slot and one UL slot)during an A-INT of a superframe for each network operator to enable eachnetwork operator to exclusively utilize its respective reservedresources for the transmission of critical control information and userdata traffic. For example, the acquisition interval configurationcircuitry 342 in combination with the SS resource reservation circuitry340 shown and described above in connection with FIG. 3 may reserverespective resources for each network operator for the exclusive usethereof within the first duration of time.

If the number of network operators is greater than the first thresholdnumber (Y branch of block 806), at block 808, the wireless communicationapparatus determines whether the number of network operators is greaterthan a second threshold number. If the number of network operators isnot greater than the second threshold number (N branch of block 808), atblock 810, the wireless communication apparatus may reserve a respectiveset of exclusive resources for a set of network operators during asecond duration of time (e.g., over two or more superframes) greaterthan the first duration of time. Thus, for at least a portion of thenetwork operators corresponding to the set of network operators,exclusive resources (e.g., one DL slot and one UL slot) are reservedwith a longer periodicity. As such, the amount of resources exclusivelyreserved to each network operator within the set of network operators iseffectively reduced. For example, the acquisition interval configurationcircuitry 342 in combination with the SS resource reservation circuitry340 shown and described above in connection with FIG. 3 may determinewhether the number of network operators is greater than the secondthreshold number and reserve respective resources for each networkoperator within a set of network operators for the exclusive use thereofwithin a second duration of time.

If the number of network operators is greater than the second thresholdnumber (Y branch of block 808), at block 812, the wireless communicationapparatus may reserve a set of non-exclusive resources during the firstor second duration of time for a set of network operators. In someexamples, the wireless communication apparatus may reserve resources(e.g., one DL slot and one UL slot) within one or more A-INTs for thenon-exclusive use by a set of two or more network operators. In thisexample, the network operators may share access to the allocatedresources using, for example, a listen-before-talk (LBT) or carriersense (CS) algorithm. For example, the acquisition intervalconfiguration circuitry 342 in combination with the SS resourcereservation circuitry 340 shown and described above in connection withFIG. 3 may reserve non-exclusive resources for use by a set of networkoperators within the first or second duration of time.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a process 900 for wirelesscommunication utilizing a shared spectrum according to a further aspectof the disclosure. As described below, some or all illustrated featuresmay be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of thepresent disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be requiredfor implementation of all embodiments. In some examples, the process 900may be carried out by the wireless communication apparatus illustratedin FIG. 3. In some examples, the process 800 may be carried out by anysuitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithmdescribed below.

At block 902, the wireless communication apparatus may determine thenumber of network operators communicating on a shared spectrum channel.In some examples, the wireless communication apparatus may be a thirdparty shared access system (SAS) server with which the network operatorsregister or a network device (e.g., a base station or other wirelesscommunication device) communicating on the shared spectrum channel thatmay discover the other network operators communicating on the sharedspectrum channel. For example, the communication and signal processingcircuitry 346 shown and described above in reference to FIG. 3 maydetermine the number of network operators communicating on the sharedspectrum channel.

At block 904, the wireless communication apparatus may determine if thenumber of network operators is greater than a first threshold number.For example, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 shownand described above in connection with FIG. 3 may determine the numberof network operators communicating on the shared spectrum channel andmay determine whether the number of network operators is greater thanthe first threshold number.

If the number of network operators is not greater the first thresholdnumber (N branch of block 904), at block 906, the wireless communicationapparatus may reserve a respective set of exclusive resources for eachnetwork operator during a first duration of time (e.g., during asuperframe). In some examples, the wireless communication apparatus mayreserve a different set of resources (e.g., one DL slot and one UL slot)during an A-INT of a superframe for each network operator to enable eachnetwork operator to exclusively utilize its respective reservedresources for the transmission of critical control information and userdata traffic. For example, the acquisition interval configurationcircuitry 342 in combination with the SS resource reservation circuitry340 shown and described above in connection with FIG. 3 may reserverespective resources for each network operator for the exclusive usethereof within the first duration of time.

If the number of network operators is greater than the first thresholdnumber (Y branch of block 906), at block 908, the wireless communicationapparatus divides the network operators into at least two set of networkoperators based on the respective priorities of each of the networkoperators. For example, the wireless communication apparatus may dividethe network operators into a first set of network operators, a secondset of network operators, and a third set of network operators. Thenetwork operators within the first set of network operators may eachhave a priority higher than the priorities of the network operators ineither the second or third sets of network operators. In addition, eachof the network operators within the third set of network operators mayhave a lower priority than each of the network operators in the firstand second sets of network operators. For example, the network operatorpriority management circuitry 344 may divide the network operators intotwo or more sets of network operators based on their respectivepriorities.

At block 910, the wireless communication apparatus determines whetherthe number of network operators is greater than a second thresholdnumber. If the number of network operators is not greater than thesecond threshold number (N branch of block 910), at block 912, thewireless communication apparatus may reserve a first set of exclusiveresources for a first set of operators during the first duration of time(e.g., during a superframe), and at block 914, reserve a secondrespective set of exclusive resources for a second set of networkoperators during a second duration of time (e.g., over two or moresuperframes) greater than the first duration of time. Thus, for at leasta portion of the network operators corresponding to the second set ofnetwork operators, exclusive resources (e.g., one DL slot and one ULslot) are reserved with a longer periodicity. As such, the amount ofresources exclusively reserved to each network operator within the setof network operators is effectively reduced. For example, theacquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 in combination with theSS resource reservation circuitry 340 shown and described above inconnection with FIG. 3 may determine whether the number of networkoperators is greater than the second threshold number, and if not,reserve respective resources for each network operator within each setof network operators for the exclusive use thereof within differentdurations of time.

If the number of network operators is greater than the second thresholdnumber (Y branch of block 910), at block 916, the wireless communicationapparatus may reserve a first set of exclusive resources for a first setof operators during the first duration of time (e.g., during asuperframe). In addition, at block 918, the wireless communicationapparatus may further optionally reserve a second respective set ofexclusive resources for a second set of network operators during asecond duration of time (e.g., over two or more superframes) greaterthan the first duration of time. At block 920, the wirelesscommunication apparatus may further reserve a third set of non-exclusiveresources during the first or second duration of time for a third set ofnetwork operators. For example, the network operators with the highestpriorities, and therefore, the highest QoS requirements, may be assignedexclusive resources within each of the A-INTs at block 916, the networkoperators with the next highest priorities may be assigned exclusiveresources within a subset of the A-INTs at block 918, while networkoperators with the lowest priorities may be assigned non-exclusiveresources within each A-INT or a subset of the A-INTs at block 920. Forexample, the acquisition interval configuration circuitry 342 incombination with the SS resource reservation circuitry 340 shown anddescribed above in connection with FIG. 3 may determine whether thenumber of network operators is greater than the second threshold number,and if so, reserve respective resources for each network operator withineach set of network operators for exclusive or non-exclusive use thereofwithin respective durations of time.

Several aspects of a wireless communication network have been presentedwith reference to an exemplary implementation. As those skilled in theart will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout thisdisclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, networkarchitectures and communication standards.

By way of example, various aspects may be implemented within othersystems defined by 3GPP, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), the EvolvedPacket System (EPS), the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System(UMTS), and/or the Global System for Mobile (GSM). Various aspects mayalso be extended to systems defined by the 3rd Generation PartnershipProject 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and/or Evolution-Data Optimized(EV-DO). Other examples may be implemented within systems employing IEEE802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB),Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunicationstandard, network architecture, and/or communication standard employedwill depend on the specific application and the overall designconstraints imposed on the system.

Within the present disclosure, the word “exemplary” is used to mean“serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementationor aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to beconstrued as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of thedisclosure. Likewise, the term “aspects” does not require that allaspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage ormode of operation. The term “coupled” is used herein to refer to thedirect or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if objectA physically touches object B, and object B touches object C, thenobjects A and C may still be considered coupled to one another—even ifthey do not directly physically touch each other. For instance, a firstobject may be coupled to a second object even though the first object isnever directly physically in contact with the second object. The terms“circuit” and “circuitry” are used broadly, and intended to include bothhardware implementations of electrical devices and conductors that, whenconnected and configured, enable the performance of the functionsdescribed in the present disclosure, without limitation as to the typeof electronic circuits, as well as software implementations ofinformation and instructions that, when executed by a processor, enablethe performance of the functions described in the present disclosure.

One or more of the components, steps, features and/or functionsillustrated in FIGS. 1-9 may be rearranged and/or combined into a singlecomponent, step, feature or function or embodied in several components,steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and/orfunctions may also be added without departing from novel featuresdisclosed herein. The apparatus, devices, and/or components illustratedin FIGS. 1 and/or 3 may be configured to perform one or more of themethods, features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithmsdescribed herein may also be efficiently implemented in software and/orembedded in hardware.

It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps inthe methods disclosed is an illustration of exemplary processes. Basedupon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the methods may be rearranged. The accompanyingmethod claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order,and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchypresented unless specifically recited therein.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A phrase referring to“at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of thoseitems, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b,or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, band c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of thevarious aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known orlater come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art areexpressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to beencompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein isintended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether suchdisclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is tobe construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication utilizing ashared spectrum, comprising: determining a number of network operatorscommunicating over a shared spectrum channel, wherein the sharedspectrum channel is time-divided into a plurality of superframes, eachcomprising an acquisition interval during which resources of the sharedspectrum channel are divided amongst the network operators forrespective exclusive use thereof without performing listen-before-talk(LBT), a guaranteed interval separate from the acquisition interval andduring which the resources of the shared spectrum channel are assignedto a single network operator of the network operators for exclusive usethereof without performing LBT, and an opportunistic interval duringwhich the resources of the shared spectrum channel are reserved by oneor more of the network operators using LBT; determining a respectivepriority for each of the network operators on the shared spectrumchannel; and for each of the network operators, allocating respectivesets of the resources on the shared spectrum channel within therespective acquisition intervals of one or more of the plurality ofsuperframes for exclusive use by the respective network operator basedon the respective priority; wherein allocating the respective sets ofthe resources comprises allocating the network operators having higherpriorities a same amount or more of the resources on the shared spectrumchannel for exclusive use thereof than the network operators havinglower priorities.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating therespective sets of the resources on the shared spectrum channel furthercomprises: if the number of the network operators is less than or equalto a first threshold number, for each of the network operators,reserving a respective first set of resources within the acquisitioninterval of a superframe of the plurality of superframes correspondingto a first duration of time for exclusive use by the respective networkoperator based on the respective priority; and if the number of thenetwork operators is greater than the first threshold number, for eachof the network operators within a first set of the network operators:reserving a respective second set of resources within a single one ofthe respective acquisition intervals of two or more of the plurality ofsuperframes corresponding to a second duration of time for exclusive useby the respective network operator based on the respective priority,wherein the second duration of time is greater than the first durationof time; or reserving a third set of resources within the first durationof time or the second duration of time for non-exclusive use by thefirst set of the network operators.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinallocating the respective sets of resources on the shared spectrumchannel further comprises: if the number of the network operators isgreater than the first threshold number, for each of the networkoperators within a second set of the network operators, reserving therespective first set of resources within the first duration of time forexclusive use by the respective network operator.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein each of the network operators within the second set of thenetwork operators has a higher priority than each of the networkoperators within the first set of the network operators.
 5. The methodof claim 2, wherein the first set of the network operators comprises allof the network operators when reserving the respective second set ofresources within the second duration of time for exclusive use by therespective network operator.
 6. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising: if the number of the network operators is greater than thefirst threshold number, for each of the network operators within asecond set of the network operators, reserving the respective first setof resources within the first duration of time for exclusive use by therespective network operator; and if the number of the network operatorsis greater than both the first threshold number and a second thresholdnumber that exceeds the first threshold number, reserving the third setof resources within the first duration of time or the second duration oftime for non-exclusive use by the first set of the network operatorsbased on the respective priority of the network operators within thefirst set of the network operators.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereineach of the network operators within the first set of the networkoperators has a lower priority than each of the network operators withinthe second set of the network operators.
 8. The method of claim 2,further comprising: if the number of the network operators is greaterthan the first threshold number, for each of the network operatorswithin a second set of the network operators, reserving the respectivefirst set of resources within the first duration of time for exclusiveuse by the respective network operator; if the number of the networkoperators is greater than the first threshold number, for each of thenetwork operators within the first set of the network operators,reserving the respective second set of resources within the secondduration of time for exclusive use by the respective network operator;and if the number of the network operators is further greater than asecond threshold number that exceeds the first threshold number,reserving the third set of resources within the first duration of timeor the second duration of time for non-exclusive use by a third set ofthe network operators; wherein each of the network operators within thefirst set of network operators has a lower priority than each of thenetwork operators within the second set of network operators, and eachof the network operators within the third set of network operators has alower priority than each of the network operators within the first setof network operators.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein: the respectivefirst set of resources for each of the network operators comprises arespective first downlink slot and a respective first uplink slot withinthe first duration of time; and the respective second set of resourcesfor each of the network operators within the first set of networkoperators comprises a respective second downlink slot and a respectivesecond uplink slot within the second duration of time.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining a first priority for a firstnetwork operator of the network operators on the shared spectrumchannel; and determining a second priority for the first networkoperator on an additional shared spectrum channel; wherein the firstpriority is different than the second priority.
 11. An apparatus withina wireless communication network, comprising: a processor; a memorycommunicatively coupled to the processor; and a transceivercommunicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor isconfigured to: determine a number of network operators communicatingover a shared spectrum channel, wherein the shared spectrum channel istime-divided into a plurality of superframes, each comprising anacquisition interval during which resources of the shared spectrumchannel are divided amongst the network operators for respectiveexclusive use thereof without performing listen-before-talk (LBT), aguaranteed interval separate from the acquisition interval and duringwhich the resources of the shared spectrum channel are assigned to asingle network operator of the network operators for exclusive usethereof without performing LBT, and an opportunistic interval duringwhich the resources of the shared spectrum channel are reserved by oneor more of the network operators using LBT; determine a respectivepriority for each of the network operators on the shared spectrumchannel; and for each of the network operators, allocate respective setsof the resources on the shared spectrum channel within the respectiveacquisition intervals of one or more of the plurality of superframes forexclusive use by the respective network operator based on the respectivepriority; wherein the network operators having higher priorities areallocated a same amount or more of the resources on the shared spectrumchannel for exclusive use thereof than the network operators havinglower priorities.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processoris further configured to: if the number of the network operators is lessthan or equal to a first threshold number, for each of the networkoperators, reserving a respective first set of resources within theacquisition interval of a superframe of the plurality of superframescorresponding to a first duration of time for exclusive use by therespective network operator based on the respective priority; and if thenumber of the network operators is greater than the first thresholdnumber, for each of the network operators within a first set of thenetwork operators: reserving a respective second set of resources withina single one of the respective acquisition intervals of two or more ofthe plurality of superframes corresponding to a second duration of timefor exclusive use by the respective network operator based on therespective priority, wherein the second duration of time is greater thanthe first duration of time; or reserving a third set of resources withinthe first duration of time or the second duration of time fornon-exclusive use by the first set of the network operators.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:if the number of the network operators is greater than the firstthreshold number, for each of the network operators within a second setof the network operators, reserve the respective first set of resourceswithin the first duration of time for exclusive use by the respectivenetwork operator.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of thenetwork operators within the second set of the network operators has ahigher priority than each of the network operators within the first setof the network operators.
 15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein thefirst set of the network operators comprises all of the networkoperators when reserving the respective second set of resources withinthe second duration of time for exclusive use by the respective networkoperator.
 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: if the number of the network operators is greaterthan the first threshold number, for each of the network operatorswithin a second set of the network operators, reserve the respectivefirst set of resources within the first duration of time for exclusiveuse by the respective network operator; and if the number of the networkoperators is greater than both the first threshold number and a secondthreshold number that exceeds the first threshold number, reserve thethird set of resources within the first duration of time or the secondduration of time for non-exclusive use by the first set of the networkoperators based on the respective priority of the network operatorswithin the first set of the network operators.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein each of the network operators within the first set ofnetwork operators has a lower priority than each of the networkoperators within the second set of network operators.
 18. The apparatusof claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: if thenumber of the network operators is greater than the first thresholdnumber, for each of the network operators within a second set of thenetwork operators, reserve the respective first set of resources withinthe first duration of time for exclusive use by the respective networkoperator; if the number of the network operators is greater than thefirst threshold number, for each of the network operators within thefirst set of the network operators, reserve the respective second set ofresources within the second duration of time for exclusive use by therespective network operator; and if the number of the network operatorsis further greater than a second threshold number that exceeds the firstthreshold number, reserve the third set of resources within the firstduration of time or the second duration of time for non-exclusive use bya third set of the network operators; wherein each of the networkoperators within the first set of network operators has a lower prioritythan each of the network operators within the second set of networkoperators, and each of the network operators within the third set ofnetwork operators has a lower priority than each of the networkoperators within the first set of network operators.
 19. An apparatuswithin a wireless communication network, comprising: means fordetermining a number of network operators communicating over a sharedspectrum channel, wherein the shared spectrum channel is time-dividedinto a plurality of superframes, each comprising an acquisition intervalduring which resources of the shared spectrum channel are dividedamongst the network operators for respective exclusive use thereofwithout performing listen-before-talk (LBT), a guaranteed intervalseparate from the acquisition interval and during which the resources ofthe shared spectrum channel are assigned to a single network operator ofthe network operators for exclusive use thereof without performing LBT,and an opportunistic interval during which the resources of the sharedspectrum channel are reserved by one or more of the network operatorsusing LBT; means for determining a respective priority for each of thenetwork operators on the shared spectrum channel; and for each of thenetwork operators, means for allocating respective sets of the resourceson the shared spectrum channel within the respective acquisitionintervals of one or more of the plurality of superframes for exclusiveuse by the respective network operator based on the respective priority;wherein the means for allocating the respective sets of the resourcescomprises means for allocating network operators having higherpriorities a same amount or more of the resources on the shared spectrumchannel for exclusive use thereof than the network operators havinglower priorities.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means forallocating the respective sets of the resources on the shared spectrumchannel further comprises: if the number of the network operators isless than or equal to a first threshold number, for each of the networkoperators, means for reserving a respective first set of resourceswithin the acquisition interval of a superframe of the plurality ofsuperframes corresponding to a first duration of time for exclusive useby the respective network operator; and if the number of the networkoperators is greater than the first threshold number, for each of thenetwork operators within a first set of the network operators: means forreserving a respective second set of resources within a single one ofthe respective acquisition intervals of two or more of the plurality ofsuperframes corresponding to a second duration of time for exclusive useby the respective network operator, wherein the second duration of timeis greater than the first duration of time; or means for reserving athird set of resources within the first duration of time or the secondduration of time for non-exclusive use by the first set of the networkoperators.